KUANTAN, Oct 10 — A five-year-old girl drowned after falling into a septic tank while playing at her grandmother’s house at the Fifth Mile, Jalan Gambang here yesterday.
Kuantan district police chief ACP Mohamad Noor Yusof Ali said Nur Ariesha Abdul Rahman’s body was found floating in the tank after residents in the area searched for the victim who had not returned home after going out to play at 5pm.
The victim, the third of four siblings, was said to have left with two of her brothers, aged seven and eight, to go to their grandmother’s house, about 500 metres away.
“The search found the victim floating (in the septic tank) at about 8pm when residents peeked into the tank which was uncovered.
“Initial investigations revealed that one of her playmates had opened the cover and the lid had fallen inside the tank and sunk to the bottom,” he told reporters here today.
Mohamad Noor said the victim’s playmates had left the area with the septic tank uncovered not realising the victim was not among them and went to play at another spot before returning home.
The absence of the victim was only realised by the victim’s brothers after arriving at home, prompting their mother, Helmi Nordin, 39, to seek the help of neighbours to find Nur Ariesha and publicise her disappearance on social sites.
Nur Ariesha’s death occurred just two days after a three-year-old boy of Mohammad Anas Hadif Ahmad Hafiz also drowned in a septic tank in Ipoh, Perak.
Meanwhile, an attempt to interview the victim’s mother, at the scene at midnight yesterday and at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) Hospital here today, were unsuccessful as she and other family members refused to be interviewed.
He said Helmi, who sold traditional Malay cakes near her house, was also found being comforted by family members when claiming the remains of her daughter. Nur Ariesha’s remains were buried at the Kampung Pandan 2 Islamic Cemetery here, following Asar’s prayer today. — Bernama
